Rumors: Megan & Vinnie

by Rachael Brownell

  “We’re fine, which makes me sad since I have to ask you to leave this afternoon.”

  “I know. Amara comes back tonight, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I should probably be there when Ty and Ang get home, anyway. I was supposed to be watching the house while they were away. I hope it didn’t burn down or anything.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine.”

  Silence falls between us while we both let reality sink in. The fairy tale we’ve been living the last week is about to come to an end. The clock is going to strike midnight, and I’ll go back to being… well, I’ve never been Cinderella. More like her evil stepsister. At least that’s what people tend to think.

  “I have a meeting with Mr. Dixon tomorrow.”

  Turning my head so I can look at him, his smile is hesitant.

  “An interview?”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know. I guess the thought of leaving today kept me from wanting this to end. I wanted to enjoy every moment without the stress of putting a title on whatever this is. I can tell you this, though. I don’t think I’m going anywhere. Not if Ty has anything to say about it. Ryder, on the other hand…”

  “If he didn’t kick your ass the other day, he doesn’t have an issue with this. Trust me. He would have reacted in the moment, not down the line.”

  “I hope so because if I can get in here, I’d really like to see where this is headed.”

  Me too. So much. But I don’t share that with him. Instead, I lay my head against his chest and listen to the beat of his heart. It’s steady and strong, and the sound is comforting.

  Vinnie doesn’t let me enjoy it very long. He’s ready to make up for being an asshole last night, and I’m more than willing to accept his apology. Both times.

  “So, I guess I’ll give you a call tomorrow,” he says between kisses to my neck, causing me to giggle.

  “Yeah. Tomorrow. Or tonight. Or when you get home.”

  “I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight. I’ll be lying awake, thinking about you, about what you’re wearing, or not wearing.”

  “Hmmm… naked in bed alone. That’s a sad thought.”

  “I swear to God if you call me and tell me you’re naked, I’m going to beat down your door.”

  Laughing, I give him a final kiss on the cheek, and he’s out the door. The house is a disaster even though he helped me pick it up a bit. I need to wash my sheets and do a load of laundry before I pick up Amara. Hopefully the busy work will keep my mind occupied.

  That’s when I spot a pair of Vinnie’s boxers sticking out from under the bed. And a sock that isn’t mine. In the bathroom is the toothbrush he brought over. Next to it is his razor.

  Did he leave everything he brought over?

  Gathering all of his forgotten items, I shove them in a grocery bag and place it by the front door. I’ll drop it off at Tyler’s on my way to get Amara. That’ll save him a trip back here, and I’ll be able to see him one last time before I pick up her up.

  As long as Tyler and Angela aren’t home yet.

  I can only imagine what she’ll have to say about this, about me.

  She plays nice, mostly because that’s the kind of person she is, but I know she doesn’t really like me. The only time we’re together, Ally’s invited me out. The bachelorette party. The wedding. She didn’t even bother to give me a pity invite, not that I wanted one.

  It doesn’t matter. We were only friends by association before, and now we try not to associate. End of story.

  Looking at the clock, I text Ryder to see what time he wants me to pick up Amara.

  ME: Seven o’clock sound good?

  RYDER: We’ve been at the park all day. Just sitting down to eat. Can you come closer to eight?

  I don’t really want to pick her up that late. By the time I get her home and in bed, it’ll be close to ten o’clock, and she’ll be a brat in the morning. I also don’t want to fight with Ryder. Things between us have been civil since the divorce, mostly, and I’d like to keep it that way. Especially with what he discovered the other day.

  ME: Sure. Let me know if you want me to grab her earlier. I’ll be in town.

  RYDER: See you later.

  After a quick shower, I gather Vinnie’s items and head to Tyler’s house. Pulling up across the street, I watch the windows like a stalker for a few minutes for any signs of Tyler or Angela. Angela’s car is in the driveway, but Tyler’s is missing. Maybe they took his to the airport.

  Just to be safe…

  ME: Hey, it’s Megan. You left a few things at my house and I was hoping to return them. Are you still home alone?

  VINNIE: Megan who? I think you have the wrong number.

  Staring at my phone, I hesitate to respond. Is he joking, or did he give me the wrong number? He typed it in himself. It’s not like I could have plugged it in wrong.

  VINNIE: Wait, Megan as in the hot chick I spent the week with?

  I’m going to throttle him when I get inside.

  VINNIE: Why are you stalking the house? Are you that worried they’ll find you here?

  Slowly looking toward the front door, Vinnie is leaning against the door frame, sans shirt.

  ME: I’d hardly call this stalking. Just making sure you were alone before I came knocking.

  I watch as he reads my text and makes quick work of his reply.

  VINNIE: I’m very lonely if you’d like to keep me company for a while. I can think of a few ways to pass the time.

  I bet he can. So can I, but I don’t have that much time. I have to swing by Ryder’s in an hour.

  Gathering the bag with his things from the passenger seat, I walk across the street, and he meets me at the bottom of the steps.

  “Admit it, you’re addicted to me. You couldn’t go more than a few hours without Vinnie,” he jokes as he takes the bag from my hands.

  “Actually, I just thought you might want to change your underwear. I found a pair under my bed.”

  “I was saving those for next time we played house.”

  Shaking my head at his bold assumption, he stops me from contradicting him by grabbing my face with his huge hands and smashing his lips against mine.

  Then we’re walking.

  Up the steps.

  Into the house.

  The door slams, causing the walls to rattle.

  Our lips are still locked when I fall backward onto a soft mattress and Vinnie lands on top of me.

  It doesn’t take long to rid ourselves of our clothes. With nothing between us, Vinnie goes to work making me scream and beg him for more. Then, the unthinkable happens.

  Tyler’s voice echoes down the hall.

  The front door closes.

  I hear muffled voices, and Vinnie is gone. Quickly gathering my clothes, I slide into my jeans, and I’m buttoning them when he returns with our exit strategy. He’s going to sneak me out the back.

  I feel like I’m sixteen and avoiding someone’s parents. This isn’t how I want to live my life. I’m an adult. I make my own decisions. Sure, I’d rather not see Angela and her look of disapproval. Or Tyler, who you can never tell what he’s thinking but I’d bet it isn’t going to be good thoughts.

  Still, sneaking out seems childish. It doesn’t stop me from following Vinnie down the hall and out the back door. Or walking close to the house and ducking beneath the windows until I’m around front and I can sprint to my car.

  I’m his dirty little secret.

  That’s all I can think the entire drive to Ryder’s.

  That makes me a whore. The whore everyone thinks I am. This is never going to work between us. We shouldn’t have to hide. Hiding will only make it worse, and people will think the worst of things.

  Rumors will fly. They’ll be unflattering and untrue.

  Unless I can get a handle on them. Control the gossip. I can be the one to spread the rumors that are told about me. Or rather, Ally can. S
he’s behind them anyway. All I have to do is lay the bait. She’ll pick it up and run with it.

  Pulling in to the gas station, I shoot her a text. If I can stop at her place before I pick up Amara, we can get the ball rolling tonight. Why wait until tomorrow? Why give someone else the upper-hand?

  ME: You home? I was gonna stop by.

  ALLY: On a date. Come save me from this loser!

  ME: Where are you?

  ALLY: The bar. He’s such a geek. I’ve been bored to death for the last hour. I can only pee so many times. I’m in the bathroom right now. Again.

  ME: On my way. We need to talk about a few things.

  ALLY: Are you referring to the rumors?

  Well, shit. They’re already out there. I wonder what the rumor mill came up with this time.

  Chapter Six

  All I can say is wow!

  Whoever came up with this one was creative. Ally swears it wasn’t her, but she also won’t give up her source. She never does. That’s why everyone thinks she’s the mastermind behind it all. Not to mention, no one ever spreads any rumors about her, and she does some seriously gossip-worthy shit.

  “Are people buying it?” I ask as I turn my back to Marco, Ally’s date.

  We managed to make it believable that we didn’t arrange this, and now we’re trying to push him out by ignoring him and engaging in girl talk. It hasn't worked so far. He even leaned in at one point to hear what Ally was whispering to me.

  That earned him a “back the fuck up” look from both of us.

  “I don’t know. I heard it Friday. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. Where the hell have you been this last week? I haven’t talked to you since the day after the wedding, and you practically hung up on me after a few minutes.”

  Ah, yes. She called at the most inopportune moment. I had just rolled off Vinnie and was attempting to catch my breath when the phone rang. Out of habit, I reached over and picked it up without looking.

  Ally wanted to have our usual two-hour girl talk session. So, I made up an excuse that I wasn’t feeling well and hung up just as Vinnie was ready for the next round.

  So, the question becomes, do I tell her about Vinnie?

  The rumor mill thinks we’re together. If I admit I was with him, it will validate everything she’s heard even though it’s not true.

  I’m not using Vinnie to get back at Ryder or, rather, using him in an attempt to make Ryder jealous and win him back. That’s about as far from the truth as it gets. If anything, we’re using each other for sex.

  That sounds awful to admit out loud.

  “I really wasn’t feeling well, that’s all. I’ve been home all week, in bed.”

  Holy shit, I almost told the truth. I may have left out a few details but still.

  “So…”

  Immediately know where she’s headed. She’s going to interrogate me, but before that happens, she glances at Marco and gives him the head nod. You know the one. The “get lost, this doesn’t involve you” head nod.

  There’s a smile on her face when she does it. She looks sweet and innocent and still vaguely interested in him. To the untrained eye, it’s more of a “give us a minute please,” but it’s far from it. We’re going to be making a run for it before he has time to return.

  “I think I’ll grab another round of drinks from the bar. Be right back.”

  And he’s gone.

  “As I was saying,” Ally continues. “In bed. All week. Were you alone?”

  And there it is. It makes me wonder if the truth is written all over my face.

  “I know you don’t want to reveal your source, but don’t you think I deserve the chance to face my accuser and set the record straight?”

  “You can set it straight with me. I’ll pass the word along.”

  “That’s not the same, and you know it. No matter what I say, people are going to believe what they want to believe. The only way to crush this stupid gossip is to go to the source.”

  And if she’s the source, I’ll crush her. Friends don’t talk shit about each other like this. They don’t create gossip about others so life is more interesting.

  Sure, the rumors about Emerson and Ryder were partially true from what I understand. They angered me more than anything. To think someone was stealing my husband out from under me… well, that’s not exactly how it happened, but my mind wasn’t allowing me to admit I ruined things back then.

  When they started about Justine and Devon, I actually believed them. Not because I think Justine is a shitty person but because it was too likely not to believe. If it hadn’t been her ex, I probably would have brushed it off. The simple fact she had a history with him was what sealed the deal for me.

  Of course I felt like a bitch when I found out what was really going on—long after it was over and Devon was living here. Not working at the office means I get secondary information when it’s convenient for it to be shared.

  Then Angela and Tyler. At first, I hoped the rumor was true. I knew it wasn’t, but deep down, I wanted to see Angela in a different light. She ratted me out to Ryder without approaching me first. If she really had given Tyler an ultimatum, it would have knocked her down a peg on the “good girl” scale. The pregnancy rumors, though… those were just fun to mess with.

  Any time she ordered a drink, I gave her the side eye. Knowing she wouldn’t actually consume alcohol if she knew she was pregnant was my only line of defense. Ally believed it, though, and that ended up causing a rift between them. A significant one.

  The one and only time I’ve ever seen Ally silenced by another person was when Angela ripped into her at the bachelorette party. I wanted to laugh; the look on Ally’s face and the fact that she was close to tears were the only reasons I held back.

  Either she’s an amazing actress or she really isn’t the source of the gossip. It’s a toss-up. I’ve seen her play people before. If she was playing Angela, lying to her face, it was her best performance yet.

  “I can’t, and you know it,” she finally says. “I have a feeling you want the source because there’s a partial truth to it, isn’t there? The question is, which part?”

  “Look, I just don’t like my personal business spread around that damn office, true or not. That’s all.”

  “So you are sleeping with Vinnie, then?”

  It’s more of a question than an accusation. One she’s going to keep asking me until I give in. This could take all night, and with Marco’s impending return and the fact I need to pick up Amara, I can either tell her the truth now or lie to her face only to confess later on.

  “Sleeping with Vinnie, yes. Using him for anything other than sex, no.”

  “I knew it!”

  “You knew nothing,” I mutter to myself. “Listen, unless you can get your source to retract their previous statement, it’s not worth mentioning to anyone. He doesn’t need his image ruined before he even starts.”

  “What do you mean?” she asks, picking up her glass and taking a long sip.

  “He has an interview with Herman in the morning. I’m guessing he’s going to get the job, and if that’s the case, there doesn’t need to be any tension between him and Ryder.”

  “Wait, I’m confused. What position?”

  “He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. You’ll probably know before I do.”

  Looking at the clock on my phone, I realize I need to get going. It’s past time for me to pick up Amara, and if I don’t get her home soon, she’s going to be a grouch in the morning.

  “I gotta go. See what you can do please.”

  Ally places her hand on my arm as I stand. When I look over at her, she’s grinning from ear to ear.

  “I want details,” she states. Shaking my head at her, I dismiss her comment with a wave of my hand and head toward the exit.

  “Details!” she screams after me.

  My phone chimes as soon as I get in the car.

  RYDER: She’s asleep. I can take her to school in the morning if you want
to pick her up after.

  Damn it. I really want to see her tonight. I miss her, but if she’s already passed out, I’d rather not wake her.

  ME: Sure.

  Do I ask Ryder about the rumor? Put it to bed right here and now. People are going to keep talking, but I don’t want him to believe what he hears. He already thinks the worst of me. It wouldn’t be a stretch for him to assume it’s true.

  ME: Can you talk?

  RYDER: About what?

  After six years of marriage, you would think he wouldn’t be this cold and standoffish toward me. Laughter bubbles in my chest at the thought. I’ve done this to myself. I fucked it up. This is just a small part of the punishment I’ll have to deal with for the next thirteen years. Once Amara turns eighteen, I’m sure he won’t even bother to talk to me, and if he doesn’t, I’m sure it won’t be pleasant.

  ME: The rumors going around the office about me.

  RYDER: I haven’t heard anything but I’m guessing you have.

  ME: Just know that if you do hear something, it’s not true.

  RYDER: They generally aren’t. Anything else?

  Is he leaving the door open to talk about Vinnie? Should I? I mean, it can’t hurt to be the first to bring it up, right?

  ME: I’m sorry for what you saw on Monday. It wasn’t planned and

  And what? I wasn’t going to tell you? I want to keep him my dirty little secret? Don’t say anything?

  Backspace, backspace, backspace. Start over.

  ME: I’m sorry for what you walked in on Monday.

  RYDER: It’s your business and has nothing to do with me.

  Mr. Standoffish is back. I should have seen that coming. I don’t want to talk about his relationship with Emerson, and I can’t imagine he wants to talk about mine with Vinnie. If you can call what we have a relationship. Some people would; others would stay as far away from that title as possible. Which makes me think we should define what’s going on.

  ME: I just want you to know it wasn’t planned.

  RYDER: I stopped by unannounced. It won’t happen again.

  ME: You can stop by whenever you want. You don’t have to call.